A film crew documenting the tributaries of a Central American river system is decimated following an encounter with an enormous, aggressive crocodile. Nature photographer Crenna (Richard's son) combines with the feared and revered local hunter (Girolami) to hunt and kill the giant perpetrator. But corrupt official (former screen legend Johnson) is not so keen on them discovering other activities in the swamp, and sends in the heavies to thwart their attempts. Gianetto De Rossi's special effects aren't especially authentic, but certainly add colour (mainly crimson) and excitement to this otherwise turgid action caper, which suffers from some woeful performances and lazy construction. As is often the case in Italian horror movies, though less acceptable in the West, kids are prolific on "Killer Crocodile"'s menu; in one memorable scene, the croc devours several of them when a pier collapses.
It's a travesty of a "Jaws" rip-off, made remotely watchable by the unusual cast that includes a bloated and almost unrecognisable Van Johnson as crooked local law enforcement figure, known as "the Judge". Johnson looks disorientated at times, and seems to be simply delivering his lines on cue, with little to no interaction with the Italian-speaking cast's dialogue.
The scenery is sometimes pleasant, and the score is functional, but the acting is at times, abysmal, and nothing short of embarrassing. Conceptually weak with little consideration for plot development or narrative construction, the filmmakers seem to rely on the subject matter and gory special effects to earn the film some kind of cult status, and therefore become commercially successful. In reality, the film remains obscure with good reason. Followed by "Killer Crocodile 2".
It's a travesty of a "Jaws" rip-off, made remotely watchable by the unusual cast that includes a bloated and almost unrecognisable Van Johnson as crooked local law enforcement figure, known as "the Judge". Johnson looks disorientated at times, and seems to be simply delivering his lines on cue, with little to no interaction with the Italian-speaking cast's dialogue.
The scenery is sometimes pleasant, and the score is functional, but the acting is at times, abysmal, and nothing short of embarrassing. Conceptually weak with little consideration for plot development or narrative construction, the filmmakers seem to rely on the subject matter and gory special effects to earn the film some kind of cult status, and therefore become commercially successful. In reality, the film remains obscure with good reason. Followed by "Killer Crocodile 2".